The 6 Stages of Playing a Game on Your Smartphone

You look over your friend's shoulder and see them playing a game, and you ask them what it's called. You download it, start playing, and HOLY CRAP! It's so much fun. You instantly start playing it every chance you get! You look forward to any moment you might be sitting down because it means you get to play. Life is good!

The game has gone from diversion to full blown addiction. If your phone is in your hand, it means you're playing. When you close your eyes, you can kinda see the outline of the game on your lids, and you've accidentally stayed up past 2 a.m. more than once this week because of it. Your friends have started to lambast you for staring at your smartphone while they're trying to have a conversation, but who cares what they think? The game is your only friend now.

After a while, the spark is gone. That doesn't mean you don't play anymore, you just don't necessarily enjoy it anymore. You'd stop if you could, but it has some sort of mystical hold on you. When you try to do other things, you feel off, and so you keep going back. Your need to play is so strong that on one cold night you even....gasp....paid a dollar for more lives....These are dark times.

For whatever reason, something just clicks. In an instant, you go from addicted to over it. You'll still play every now and then, but only if have literally nothing else to do. Heck, sometimes you choose staring at nothing over playing the game. The thrill you once got out of it is now but a distant memory.

The day comes when you need to make space on your phone, and the fact is you haven't played in weeks. A rush of nostalgia floods your brain as you hover your hand over the game icon. You remember all the good times you had, but ultimately can't justify keeping the thing on your phone. You say your goodbyes and click delete.

It's been months and you haven't even thought about the game....until one day when you're insanely bored. You remember how much fun you used to have playing and you know what you must do. In a moment of weakness, you head to the app store and the whole cycle starts all over again.